In this tutorial several topics in advanced veneering are covered. These topics range from resawing your own veneers to creating curved panels. The veneering topic emphasizes vacuum veneering as this has rapidly become the most effective and efficient process to laminate veneers onto substrates. With vacuum veneering, one less form or mold is necessary and the huge array of clamps necessary for conventional veneering is done away with.

Both flat and curved panel veneering are covered in detail in this tutorial with a thorough step by step sequence detailing each of these processes. The detailed process of creating a curved laminated is also covered in detail.

This comprehensive tutorial also covers the resawing of your own veneers and the advantages of this process. The flexibility and versatility gained from resawing your own veneers is a distinct advantage over purchasing very thin commercial veneers. Resawn veneers are thick enough to be able to scrape and even handplane, much like thick solid wood.

The bandsaw setup to be able to resaw your own veneers is also covered in depth with many photos to clarify this setup procedure as well as any modifications necessary to make to your bandsaw.

Advanced Veneering Tutorial  $14

In this tutorial the basics of veneering are presented. The basic steps involved in applying veneer to a substrate are covered following an Introduction to Veneering. Veneering is an excellent method to extract more wood from beautiful and exceptionally figured woods.

More is known today about veneering as opposed to past centuries; and much of this knowledge has been derived from examining the construction of early veneered furniture. Veneering today is once again associated with quality work and fine furniture making. There is also much more variety in veneers as opposed to solid woods. As beautiful, highly figured woods slowly become more scarce, the concept and practicality of veneering begins to make more sense.

Different techniques used to create veneer are covered as well as the advantages of each. A step by step sequence is provided where a substrate or core panel is veneered on both sides using conventional veneering techniques. The equipment and tools necessary for veneering are covered as well as the accumulated I have gained over the past decade of successfully applying veneers and creating veneered furniture.

After following this tutorial which includes three videos, you will have a good understanding of veneering.

Veneering Basics Tutorial  $14

In this tutorial the selection and acquisition of wood for a woodworking workshop are presented. Buying the right wood for furniture and woodworking projects is critical as this step can lead to the success or failure of a woodworking project or furniture build. Opportunities to purchase or acquire good lumber should not be overlooked as someone else will seize on the opportunity.

In my own workshop, I purchase or acquire lumber when I see an opportunity and if the wood is exceptional in quality and well priced. The selection of wood for woodworking projects and especially furniture builds should be performed with care. Flaws in wood as well as which characteristics of wood to look for when purchasing lumber are covered.

This tutorial also covers the steps involved in processing lumber into boards. Hardwood and softwood lumber as well as man-made wood based materials are covered in this tutorial. The process and importance of correctly drying lumber is covered as well the importance of purchasing or acquiring properly kiln or air dried lumber.

Different techniques of slicing wood from logs are discussed; both to optimize the yield extracted from a log and to generate dimensionally stable boards. After following this tutorial with included video, you will have a better understanding of what to look for when buying wood for your furniture projects.

Wood Basics Tutorial  $14

In this tutorial the requirements for a productive woodworking workshop are explained. Workshops typically evolve over time and the workshop featured in this particular tutorial has been in operation for a number of years. The fine tuning and placement of equipment and benches in a workshop occur over a period of a few years. Workshops typically share many similar features but can vary a great deal in the type of equipment and tools which form a workshop.

Workshops can be primarily machine oriented at one extreme and hand tool oriented at the other extreme. In between, there are hybrid workshops which benefit from both machinery and hand tools. I tend to favor workshops where machinery is used to process rough wood with hand tools used in the later stages of furniture making.

 In my workshop, I have created storage and placed equipment and workbenches to maximize the efficiency of the workshop. I share with you the experience gained from many years of developing functional, efficient workshops. The core components of a workshop are discussed with many illustrations and images. As well, the safety requirements of a workshop, storage requirements, dust collection and the optimal layout of a workshop are explained.

After following this tutorial which includes the videos on workshop safety and workshop basics, you will have a good understanding of how to set up your workshop. Included are workshop tutorial, workshop basics video and workshop safety video. The Workshop Basics tutorial is downloaded to your computer.

Dust collection Pt. 1
Dust collection Pt. 2
Band saw dust collection
Shop size and layout
Workshop electrical
Workshop access and lighting
Workshop storage
Basement workshop
The workbench Pt. 1
The workbench Pt. 2
Workshop safety
Storing and processing lumber
Conclusion

Workshop Basics Tutorial  $14

In this tutorial, hand planes and their uses and techniques are presented. Hand planes have been a part of woodworking shops for centuries. Hand plane use can range from preparing or dressing wood, creating joinery on wood to finishing or smoothing wood.

Hand planes are but one tool in the hand tool arsenal which every fine furniture shop should strive to acquire. The first part of the tutorial describes different hand planes and their uses. The range covered is from the more common hand planes to a few specialty hand planes. Following this section is an introduction to hand plane techniques with step by step sequences of more common handplaning operations.

The step by step sequences describe how to create and smooth an edge joint on a board, how to dress a rough board to a predetermined thickness and flatness. Block planes are covered with steps on planing the end of a board as well as creating a chamfer along an edge.

Workshops can be either machine oriented or hand tool oriented at the other extreme. Hybrid workshops benefit from both machinery and hand tools. I favor workshops which utilize machinery to process raw wood and then use hand tools in the later stages of furniture making.

Very often, it is quicker to tune or create a joint using a hand plane rather than go to the trouble of setting up machinery to perform the same task. The dust free, quiet environment which hand planes provide is a large advantage for the small shop. This tutorial will answer many questions you have about hand planes and their use in the workshop. I use hand planes extensively in my furniture making workshop. Instead of unhealthy dust, I generate wood shavings and get exercise! After following the tutorial with the included videos, you will have a good understanding of what to look for when selecting and using hand planes.

Hand Plane Basics Tutorial  $14

Vintage Stanley combination planes have always intrigued me. Hand plane technology progressed through the centuries with wooden planes making way for metal-bodied planes. Molding, grooving and dado planes, including plow, dado, beading, etc., have historically been dedicated wooden planes with the profile and pre-set offset from the edge of the board built-in. This translated to having a different wooden plane for each application, and could get cumbersome for the cabinetmaker of the time.

The Stanley No.45 and No.55 combination planes were at the end of the evolutionary line of hand planes. Stanley developed this combination plane with an adjustable fence which is capable of accepting an assortment of straight blades, beading planes, and match groove blades. The design removed the need for multiple wooden planes for different sized grooves, dadoes, rabbets and beads.

This particular series of plane, the Stanley No. 45 – 55, was developed at the peak of the metal hand plane design era ( late 1800’s). It is interesting that if one were to develop a similar-featured plane today, the design would probably look not too much different than the Stanley No. 45. This particular model, the Stanley No. 45 has been in production from the late 1800’s to the middle of the 1900’s with many different variants along the way. Each variant was either adopted for manufacturing efficiency or to implement a new feature into the plane.

The type I have ( Type 7B) is very likely early 1904-06 vintage. The Patrick Leach “Blood and Gore” web site is a great place to visit and determine what vintage your old Stanley or Record plane is. Certain small features are either part of this plane or not, enough to narrow down the production dates of Stanley planes to within a few years of each other.

Stanley 45 Tutorial – Free

A glimpse into the build process of White Mountain Design signature jewelry boxes is shown in this article. Each drawer, tray and compartment divider is individually fitted to accommodate the overall jewelry box dimensions. The bottom drawer glides along rails on either side of the drawer opening, the drawer has corresponding grooves.

Each compartment divider can be removed to allow for a larger compartment and to accommodate larger pieces of jewelry. The sliding trays allow you to view the contents of the compartments below . In the fitting process, individual pieces are hand planed to tolerance. Clamping the jewelry box together and final assembly shown here.

Creating jewelry boxes in multiples and completed jewelry box shown below.

Complete article on the Jewelry Box Build available in the new
WOODWORKING: FROM DESIGN TO MAKING
available in the BOOKS section.

In this tutorial the techniques for inlaying wood are presented. The art of wood inlay has been a part of furniture making and woodworking for centuries. Wood inlay can be used to enhance the appeal of furniture or wood objects by making plain panels of wood much more visually appealing.

Although inlay can be intimidating at first, after following this tutorial and some practice you will be comfortable using inlay in your work. The first part of the tutorial describes the concept of inlay and selecting contrasting woods as a method of inlay. The next part of the tutorial describes the concept of preparing and cutting inlay followed by step by step sequences to create the mortise for the inlay and inserting the inlay. Afterwards, the technique for handplaning and scraping the inlay flush with the surface of the surrounding wood is described and demonstrated.

The step by step sequences describe how to create the inlay, create the mortise for the inlay, insert the inlay and finish the panel. The inlay will appear to be seamless within the panel when completed. Since there is extensive chisel work when creating and applying inlay into wood, we also include a video on chisels as part of this tutorial.

This tutorial will answer many questions you have about inlay and how to apply it. I use inlay extensively in my own furniture making. The inlay adds beauty to furniture and enhances its aesthetic. After following this tutorial which includes video, you will have a better understanding of how to use chisels to both create inlay in wood as well as in your woodworking.

How To Inlay Tutorial  $14

In this tutorial I discuss and demonstrate these time-saving, simple to make jigs for the workbench. I designed and created these jigs over a period of a year to aid me when hand planing boards. All of these jigs are designed to plug into a workbench with round dog holes. In the tutorial I show you how to locate and transfer the holes when making the jigs. The typical dog hole diameter of workbenches is 3/4 inch, which is a standard dowel size. This make is easy to acquire the components to be able to create these jigs.

The jigs are quick to install and remove from a typical workbench. The layout of the dowels is such that only one row of holes is necessary. One of the planing stop designs uses a clever arrangement which wraps the jig aroundthe edge of the bench to create a extremely strong and solid connection. Another jig is the bird’s mouth jig which greatly simplifies the process of hand planing the edges of a small to medium board.

The jigs are made completely from wood to reduce the likelihood of damage from accidentally sliding the sole of a hand plane across the top surface of the jig. The thickness of the jigs is also variable and can range from as thin as 1/4 inch up to 3/4 inch. The jigs are also designed to be adjusted higher on the bench when thicker boards are being hand planed. For example a 1/4 inch thick planing stop jig can be raised to accommodate a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick board. Alternatively, you can create more than one of these planing stops to accommodate different thicknesses of boards.

A step by step demonstration of using each of the jigs in provided in the tutorial as well as plans to be able to create these jigs. Once you are familiar with laying out and creating these jigs, you will find it straightforward to create more specialized ones for your own workbench.

Comprehensive information, bench jig plans, 70 pages and over 100 photo sequences on how to create and use these bench jigs. (18) detailed computer designed illustrations (CAD) on how to create these bench jigs are also included when you purchase this tutorial.

Bench Jigs Tutorial  $14

In 2005, I developed this system of bench stops as a simple alternative to installing a tail vise on a workbench. So I’ve been using this system of bench stops for 12 years now, it will be the 12th anniversary shortly. The system is set up on one of my original workbenches. This happened to be my main workbench at the time. Apologies for the vintage photography, but I wanted to keep the article period correct. The alternative tail-vise setup and holdfasts are used when face planing boards.

Most flat, regular benches can easily be modified to incorporate the hand planing setup using these bench stops ( Roubo style). Photos below are of the bench stop setup on the workbench in my workshop. This bench has been modified for adapting the two bench stops. Adapting a bench can be expanded for longer bench stops, more holes for versatility, etc. I chose this particular hole spacing for the type of work I do. I am also left-handed and plane left to right, therefore I set this up on the back side of my bench which is unencumbered by a face vise ( the face vise is on the front of bench ).

It is important to get the 3/4 in. dowel holes square to the bench and in-line with each other, to ensure that the 12 in. planing stops are perpendicular to each other. The side bench stop does a great job of preventing the board from rotating sideways while hand planing with diagonal strokes. It has a large bearing surface to keep any size board from rotating. The side bench stop is also movable within a 12 in. span on 3 sets of holes, allowing for narrow boards and wider boards (2 in. to 14 in.).

The side bench stop can be swung around towards the front bench stop with a parallel set of holes, this is to accommodate shorter boards. Pictures above and below provide a better explanation.

The wide front bench stop also serves to prevent the board from rotating or shifting sideways as it has a large bearing surface for the front edge of the board. Bench stops (front and side) are friction fit so they can be raised (1/4 in. to 3/4 in.)  to accommodate thicker boards, very much like a bench dog. Otherwise, the minimum height of the bench stops would be approximately 1/4 inch. The hole spacing is arbitrary and based on the type of board sizes I typically hand plane in my own furniture making. two inch long birch dowels are glued in the bench stops using ebony wedges in the dowel kerf for tightness. Kerfs at the ends of the dowels are cut on a bandsaw.

A benefit of having a board simply against bench stops is that you really cannot drag the plane back in your strokes since it would pull the board back. This trains you to lift the handplane instead of dragging it back. The only wear on the blade then is from the forward stroke. Also you eliminate the tendency of bowing a thinner board caused by clamping between bench dogs and tail-vise and distorting the board while planing.  You also gain more tactile feedback and control of your planing and it becomes easy and quick to re-orientate the board end for end or flip it over, etc.

Typical bench stop setup to act as a tail vise.

More holes can be added to allow for very short boards as done in bottom pictures. It is then a matter of swinging the side bench stop around towards the front bench stop. The spacing and location I have selected is optimized for the length and width of boards I typically handplane in my furniture making.

The bored 3/4 in. holes can also be used for bench dogs and also used for holdfasts for irregular sized pieces.

Align side bench stop to be perpendicular with face of front bench stop using a large square to mark holes. This will ensure the complete edge of the bench stop is against the board to be planed.

Side bench stop set to narrowest width, closest to edge of bench.

Bench stops can be raised or lowered as conventional bench stops for thinner or thicker boards.

A short, narrow piece of lacewood being planed.

Parallel set of holes bored to accommodate shorter and wider boards shown above. It is recommended to lay out all the holes you will need for this system and then drill them. This ensures that all holes are square and perpendicular to each other and the front bench stop.

A small, wide panel being face-planed.

Developing this alternative tail vise idea led to an article on bench stops and jigs I wrote for Fine Woodworking Magazine. The article 4 Bench Jigs for Handplanes was published in early 2009.